I like to make plans.  Unfortunately, plans don’t always work the way we hope.  So, lately instead of trying to make grand, sweeping plans for the big picture, I’m taking things one day at a time.

By far the best plans I make these days involve food.  Although I worked full-time for the past eight years, I never really embraced menu-planning until my first year at home.  Now it would be one of my top recommendations to any overwhelmed mom who is working outside the home.  If that’s you, I wish you simple prep, easy cleanup, and hearty dinners that provide enough for lunch leftovers.  That’s why, I’m going to start featuring some of our weeknight favorites here.

Since I’m home full-time, I have gotten a bit more into cooking completely from scratch.  I rarely buy condensed soups anymore, I bake homemade bread, I canned my first batch of apple butter this past October.  But when I was working, some nights I barely had time to open canned soup, so feel free to adjust any recipe to meet your family’s needs and schedule.

Here’s a sample of one of our latest favorite meals that’s quick, one-dish, and simple, yet looks impressive.

Simple Broccoli-Beef Wellington
1 lb ground beef
9 oz package frozen broccoli, thawed (or cheat like me and buy a steamer bag)
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 small onion, diced
1/2 cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
2 8 oz cans of crescent rolls

Season to taste and brown ground beef with onion.  Drain. Add the sour cream and cheese and mix well.  Add the broccoli (should be slightly tender).  Cover and let simmer while you prepare the dish.  Spray a 13×9 glass dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Open one can of crescents.  Spread them across bottom of the dish.

  

I have no idea how I lucked out and this worked out so perfectly.  That never ever happens.  Note: You can use the crescent sheets, but I find that it only takes about a can and a half, so then you still have to find something to do with the extra dough.  Next, spread the ground beef mixture.  If it seems a little dry, you can always add more another tablespoon of sour cream or milk.  Then, top with the remaining cresents.

Like I said, you might have extra crescent dough.  For this one, I got a little fancy (translation: making it blog worthy) and cut the remaining dough to fill in extra space and then made a B on top for our last name.  Usually I just roll the extra into their regular shape and bake separately.  But tonight I didn’t want to dirty another pan or listen to the whining since I barely had two rolls left, and I’m feeding four other people.  Now that’s done, you can brush the top with a beaten egg if you want.  Bake 18-20 minutes at 375.

Enjoy!  I served this last week with a side of glazed carrots.  It also goes well with salad.  If you don’t care about carbs or are stretching it, maybe some mashed potatoes would be yummy, too!

One of the great things about this dish, is it’s also very budget friendly.  I buy the crescents on sale with coupons, always buy the beef on sale in large quantities that I can divide and freeze, coupons again for the broccoli and sour cream.

Hope it makes your Monday!

For some of our other family favorites, go here.  I am slowly building this page so check back often!

Today is gray.   That steely misty kind of gray that makes you think it’s only about 40 degrees outside and the day is demanding scarves and hot lattes.  Except it’s 65 and humid.  That’s just a yucky kind of gray.

So liven up your Monday with this.  Those muffins are magical with a caramel latte, I promise.

I had some of my fellow MOPS moms over the other morning to drink coffee and sample new recipes and delay the laundry just a little longer.  There’s nothing like spending the morning in the company of others who know the woes of cloth diapering, potty training, nursing, and bribing toddlers.  I have a friend who told the funniest story about how she tells her son she’ll give him a dollar if he goes potty.  So he does and she does, but then he sets that dollar down and runs off to play.  So she picks up the dollar and uses it for the next time.  Isn’t it great three year olds are so easily fooled?

Anyway, here’s what you really need to know.  Those muffins?  Cranberry-Orange Coffee Cakes with an Orange Glaze adapted from this month’s Better Homes and Gardens.  I think they might be my favorite muffins ever.   At least until I make the Pumpkin Cream Cheese muffin recipe I found the other day.

Cranberry-Orange Coffee Cakes

2 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/3 c butter, softened
1/2 c each packed brown and granulated sugars
1 c plain yogurt (original uses ricotta cheese)
1 egg
1 Tbsp. finely shredded orange peel
1 Tbsp. orange juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped (about half a bag and don’t use dried)
1/2 tsp ground ginger (original uses 2 Tbsp. finely chopped crystallized ginger but I can’t afford that)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease muffin tins (I made 12 regular muffins and 12 mini muffins, orignal calls for 15 2-inch muffin cups).  Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and 1/4 tsp salt.  In a large bowl beat butter and sugars with electric mixer until fluffy.  Beat in yogurt, egg, orange peel, orange juice, and vanilla.  (Note: I zested my orange and then squeezed it for the juice.) Stir in flour mixture until just combined.  Fold in cranberries and ginger.

2.  Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.  Bake 20-25 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove and cool slightly.  Place on plate and glaze.  If you want, you can add some chopped walnuts or pecans, but I kind of abhor nuts in my bread, so that’s your call.

Orange Glaze: Combine 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp. orange juice, and 1/2 tsp vanilla.  Stir in 2 Tbsp. melted butter and 1/2 tsp. shredded orange peel.  If too thin, add more sugar.  I like to pour it over the warm muffins.  Store leftovers in fridge and reheat for ten seconds in the microwave.

If you don’t want muffins, let me recommend the Caramel-Apple Coffee Cake from Southern Living.  It’s on page 112 if you still get pages you actually turn like I do.  It’s incredible.  You can also click here for the recipe.  Just know it makes way more than enough streusel and caramel toppings, so plan another use for those leftovers!

So here’s a picture of one thing we did today.  Gus is a really good junk sorter.  Pretty much everything behind him except that riding toy whose tail is sticking out and our hiking backpack will be donated somewhere soon.  And by “junk” I really mean perfectly useful items others will want and use but I don’t need.
   

Linked up with Carissa today.